Christian family moving to Eugene..what are we in for??? (real estate, crime rates)

[Yankeemama]

The O.P. should move to Portland. There are all kinds here. You can call yourself Christian in our neck of the woods. We don't bite Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddahists...

[haggardhouseelf]

Eugene is a very tolerant place - the religious people are tolerant of those who are not and vice versa. I wouldn't worry at all about it.

There are some beautiful churches in the Willamette Valley, too. I'm not religious but I love churches.

[aries63]

Originally Posted by mkl654321

Please note that while I may oppose religion for several reasons, I also endorse the right of anyone to believe as he or she wishes. But that right, in my opinion, does NOT extend to the involuntary indoctrination of children. Belief systems and mythologies are not things that should be stuffed into the minds of impressionable children.

Freedom of religion includes the right to bring your children up in that religion. It does not mean that YOU (mkl) get to decide what other people do or don't teach their own children. What a monstrous display of ego. I loved religion and mythology as a kid. Not just my own, but I devoured Greek mythology and was fascinated by other world religions as well. I had classmates who were being raised according to Jewish and Sikh traditions and valued my interactions with them. Had I been denied that exposure as a child I would consider myself spiritually stunted as an adult. To deny a child the opportunity to share in the religious tradition of his or her family until the age of 18 would constitute abuse, IMO. I mean really, parents attending religious services and celebrating religious holidays while barring the children from sharing it with them? Do they put the children in a separate room, or put blindfolds and earmuffs on them? Please.

As a Christian (of a decidedly liberal bent) I've eyed Eugene as a possible relocation destination. I know that I would feel more comfortable there than in a Bible Belt town of similar size.

I think people in Eugene are not nearly as strident or snide in person as they tend to be through the anonymity of these forums.

[clarachan]

hi, this used to be a very God-fearing community, with a lot of very conservative and Christian families. That has completely changed. All the people who used to live in urban New York City, and urban Los Angeles, have all moved here, and brought all their problems with them. We have a high rate of property crime, burglary, home invasion, methedrine production, heroin, and a large amount of drug dealing. Marijuana is practically legal here.

As far as ethics and morals go, we now have a large gay community, and the whole area is very politically democratic, extremely ultraliberal, socialist, and very anti-conservative and anti-family. This area has changed a lot, as we have all these people from Los Angeles and New York City here, it has become exactly like Los Angeles and New York City used to be.we also have an increased amount of pedophilia, burglary, sex trafficking, child kidnapping, child abuse, and some pretty bad stuff that I cannot even mention on this board. So I'm sorry nobody told you about Eugene Oregon, which is a community which is pretty much like very urban areas of Los Angeles and New York City. it also has some of the highest unemployment in the whole country, only second up from Michigan.

You would do much better somewhere else, and not in Oregon, as a whole state is very ultraliberal, socialist, and high taxation rate. In fact, Oregon has become so much less livable, (I am a native, born a Eugene) I heartily wish I could move out of Eugene, but I cannot sell my real estate here. The real estate market here is very bad, nobody can sell any of their homes or real estate, so if you know anybody who would give me a good price for mine, including the back of my place, which is completely unbuilt on, I'd really like to know. A lot of us would like to sell our homes, and move the hell out of here.

[haggardhouseelf]

lol

[aries63]

Actually New York City has a lower crime rate than Eugene, so it might not be a bad thing if some New Yorkers are moving there (said as a native New Yorker myself). But I think it would get pretty crowded if "all the people who used to live in urban New York City" had moved to Eugene. Yikes. But it would make it easier to sell your house.

[haggardhouseelf]

Originally Posted by Nell Plotts

Most residents of Eugene regard themselves as Christians.

I am not trying to be rude or snarky or whatever but when I read this I was wondering how someone would know this - did you get that info from the most recent census or something? Because I have actually often wondered where we stand as a country... and broken down further into states and cities... Personally I don't think there are as many Christians in America as hardcore American Christians like to think there are.

I grew up in Dallas, TX where most people do certainly affiliate themselves with a church and consider themselves Christian. Eugene is so very different, but also feels a lot more tolerant, it seems, of others differing belief systems.

In Texas, if you didn't go to church on Sunday's, people made all kinds of assumptions about you. Here, it's no big deal. Live and let live, to each their own, it feels much healthier spiritually here.

[haggardhouseelf]

Originally Posted by aries63

Actually New York City has a lower crime rate than Eugene...

OK again... where would I find this information? That seems so crazy to me... but it could be true, I dunno. How do you know this? If so - woah!

[OStater]

Originally Posted by aries63

Freedom of religion includes the right to bring your children up in that religion. It does not mean that YOU (mkl) get to decide what other people do or don't teach their own children. What a monstrous display of ego. I loved religion and mythology as a kid.

Nothing wrong with it being taught as mythology.

Just don't teach it as truth. It's pretty simple.

[stuckinseattle]

I haven't read the whole thread. I'm a religious homeschooler, pretty conservative, I don't have any problems here. Eugene is extremely live and let live, mostly because people have their heads way too far up their behinds to even notice you in the first place. Nobody has enough oomph to persecute anybody.